Zibidek: The Lost Nation of Wosterhiem

The gnomes of old are often considered a whimsical race with tales of their hidden homes being stumbled upon by errant lads and lasses, trying to get out of a day's work by running out to the woods. While these tales are rooted in some truth, it is not the whole of the truth concerning the gnomes. Dwarven records and Elven loremasters recall the name of the hidden nation that rested at the heart of Wosterhiem during the golden age; Zibidek.
Zibidek was a wide nation that spanned from the coastal Shale range to the west and reached as far as Lake Wilder. They had also built installations in the Rift and were responsible for the initial construction of The Deepening Way, for the purposes of trading with the Dwarves of Ahbadhok. The Dwarves swiftly saw the utility of dealing with the ever tinkering Gnomes and found great value in their clockwork. Ledgers are still kept which detail transactions between Zibidek and Ahbadhok; high tensile steel, ingots of tin, brass and copper were traded for pocket watches, astrolabes and microscopes; approximately a hundred years before our golden age began.
Zibidian civic architecture was a mixture of machinery and magic, usually contained in subterranean discs or spheres, while the civilian populations lived in rustic simplicity. It is believed that most gnopmish communities were spread out over a large area in subterranean tunnel systems with entrances to the world above hidden from prying eyes.
Despite their technological strengths, they remained secretive and furtive, never investing in warfare. While the Neldar of Hithilium were aware of the gnomish presence in the lands that they had claimed for themselves, they were for the most part unaware of how advanced their diminutive neighbors were. Elven loremasters of Hithilium tell of a time when the circle of Augers in their nation had convened to perform a complex anticipation ritual. This ritual had required precise measurements and calculations in regard to the circle. Acolytes had prepared it according to their master augers specifications, and the ritual was about to start when a gnome entered the circle and called it off. At first the Augers were irritated by his claims that they had miscalculated the transferrent qualities of several of their reagents, but after a token recalculation they discovered he was correct. Introducing himself then as Professor Brannigan, he invited them into his study, literally a stone's throw away. To the shock of the elves, it was discovered that a small college was beneath their circle.
The College became a university, with the elves building a faculty on top of the college: Hithilium Art & Technologies. As academic discussions between the two peoples continued, it was noted that the Elves favoured the study of method, while the gnomes prefered to break down everything to its base element and concept, debating for hours on the how and why behind magic that the elves easily ignored. For six centuries the two culture communed, although the elves noted that the gnomes seemed to withhold degrees of information. Still, relations were amiable between both parties.
In 1188 GA, there was an incident in the university. Information was stolen by guests of the elves visiting from Tanterville Arcana Technologic in Bulvirk, another mixed school run by Elves and Humans. This breach of trust resulted in a complete withdrawal by the Gnomes of Zibidek. Dialogue was all but ended with the elves until the onset of the Dark Age, when a few refugees from Zibidek passed through Hithilium on their way east to Pallen in 1200 GA.
Today all that remains of Zibidek is ruins and stories. The gnomes have no nation, they are scattered to the wind and live in the shadows of other powers. Their legacy remains however, their language is the tongue of categorization, used throughout all the academic institutions of learning.